Anesthesia and analgesia
-
Anesthesia and analgesia · May 2016
ReviewResurgence of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in the United States: Anesthetic and Critical Care Implications.
Vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) such as measles and pertussis are becoming more common in the United States. This disturbing trend is driven by several factors, including the antivaccination movement, waning efficacy of certain vaccines, pathogen adaptation, and travel of individuals to and from areas where disease is endemic. ⋯ In this article, we will review the presentation and management of 9 VPDs most relevant to anesthesiologists, intensivists, and other hospital-based clinicians: measles, mumps, rubella, pertussis, diphtheria, influenza, meningococcal disease, varicella, and poliomyelitis. Because many of the pathogens causing these diseases are spread by respiratory droplets and aerosols, appropriate transmission precautions, personal protective equipment, and immunizations necessary to protect clinicians and prevent nosocomial outbreaks are described.
-
Anesthesia and analgesia · May 2016
ReviewChina's Contribution to Anesthesiology Research: A 10-Year Survey of the Literature.
Anesthesiology has advanced in China over the past decade. We compared the trends in publication of anesthesiology articles from China between 2005 and 2014 with the trends in 5 developed countries. ⋯ In the studied decade, anesthesiology research published by Chinese institutions lagged behind publications from developed countries. There was a steady increase in the number of articles every year, resulting in recent rates of publication similar to several developed countries. The citation rate of articles from Chinese institutions was similar to the citation rate of articles from developed countries, indicating that the quality of articles from China in these journals is comparable to the quality from developed countries.
-
Anesthesia and analgesia · May 2016
ReviewThe 2015 Gerard W. Ostheimer Lecture: What's New in Labor Analgesia and Cesarean Delivery.
Every year the Board of Directors of the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology selects an individual to review the literature pertinent to obstetric anesthesiology published the previous calendar year. This individual selects the most notable contributions, creates a syllabus of the articles, and then presents his/her overview in an annual lecture named in honor of the late Gerard W. Ostheimer, a pioneering obstetric anesthesiologist from the Brigham and Women's Hospital. ⋯ Its contents were presented as the Gerard W. Ostheimer Lecture at the 47th Annual Meeting of the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology, May 16, 2015, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The syllabus is available as Supplemental Digital Content (http://links.lww.com/AA/B397).
-
Smoking increases the risk of postoperative morbidity and mortality. Smoking cessation before surgery reduces the risk of complications. The perioperative period may be a "teachable moment" for smoking cessation and provides smokers an opportunity to engage in long-term smoking cessation. ⋯ The "Ask, Advise, Connect" is a practical strategy to be incorporated in the surgical setting. All anesthesiologists should ask their patients about smoking and strongly advise smokers to quit at every visit. Directly connecting patients to existing counseling resources, such as telephone quitlines, family physicians, or pharmacists using fax or electronic referrals, greatly increases the reach and the impact of the intervention.
-
Anesthesia and analgesia · May 2016
ReviewInflammation and Epidural-Related Maternal Fever: Proposed Mechanisms.
Intrapartum fever is associated with excessive maternal interventions as well as higher neonatal morbidity. Epidural-related maternal fever (ERMF) contributes to the development of intrapartum fever. ⋯ Here, we consider how inflammatory mechanisms may be modulated by local anesthetic agents and their relevance to ERMF. We also critically reappraise the clinical data with regard to emerging concepts that explain how anesthetic drug-induced metabolic dysfunction, with or without activation of the inflammasome, might trigger the release of nonpathogenic, inflammatory molecules (danger-associated molecular patterns) likely to underlie ERMF.